This is not your grandmother's 'rasslin.' You won't see Rick Flair, Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin at one of these matches. This is wrestling Greco-Roman style.

"The initial response has been really good and wrestling will come to Arkansas. The big question is when," Russellville athletic director Jim Dickerson said. "For it to be recognized by the Arkansas Activities Association ( AAA) as a championship sport, you have to have at least 16 teams competing in it. It also has to go before the AAA Board of Directors, and they have to vote on it."

The time frame is not very clear when the first AAA recognized wrestling matches will take place in Arkansas, but Dickerson says that has been the case with other sports in the past.

"It took several years for sports like soccer and swimming to be recognized by the AAA," Dickerson said. "I think wrestling is coming, but it will be 2-3 years before it gets recognized."

Of the 50 states in the country, only two do not currently have wrestling at the high school level. This point has led Dickerson to believe that Arkansas needs to take the initiative in implementing its program.

"Mississippi and Arkansas are the only states that do not have wrestling," Dickerson said. "That is what I have been told by the Arkansas Wrestling Association."

Some schools are looking at wrestling as a way to answer some Title IX issues their schools face. Title IX states that there has to be an equal amount of sports for men and women.

"Wrestling is not only a men's sport. That was the initial concern among several schools. They were concerned how it would affect their Title IX status," Dickerson said. "I would like to see both men's and women's wrestling. They (AAA) are putting together a survey to see what the interest is among both males and females."

At the local level, Terry Davis of the L.V. Williamson Boys and Girls Club has been instrumental in bringing wrestling to not only the Arkansas River Valley but to the entire state.

"Terry has been working along with Harold Taylor at the L.V. Williamson Boys and Girls Club. They have been teaching and coaching wrestling there for the past five or six years," Dickerson said. "Greg Hatcher, the president of the Arkansas Wrestling Association in Little Rock, has been an advocate in the state and has spearheaded this attempt to bring wrestling to the high school level."

Unlike football or basketball, the cost of starting wrestling is relatively minimal, according to Dickerson.

"First, we would have to have mats, and they cost around $9,000. Then we need uniforms, which would cost about $20 apiece, and then the cost of protective head gear," Dickerson said. "The head gear is very important to protect the athletes' ears. We don't want the athletes to be disfigured with cauliflower ear."

The main concern of wrestling is providing insurance that would cover the athletes. The AAA provides catastrophic insurance to protect athletes who have been severely injured during a sporting event.

"The thing right now is catastrophic insurance. With the different kinds of holds that are used, it can be dangerous if they are not executed properly," Dickerson said. "We want the athletes to be covered in case the unfortunate happens."

The acceptance of wrestling throughout the state has been mixed. Strong support for the sport lies in Northwest Arkansas with its close proximity to both Oklahoma and Missouri, two states that have strong wrestling programs. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame is located in Stillwater, Okla.

"The attitude toward wrestling has really been mixed. Fayetteville, Bentonvillle and Springdale are starting wrestling programs," Dickerson said. "On the other hand, athletic directors like Conway's 'Buzz' Bolding has taken a wait-and-see approach. He wants to see what the response is to developing a wrestling program from the survey before putting out any money."

One Arkansas school has been competing in wrestling for over half a century according to Dickerson.

"Arkansas School for the Blind has been competing in wrestling for more than 60 years," Dickerson said. "Of course, they have been traveling out of state to do so."

One area that would help sell wrestling in Arkansas would be if the state colleges such as the University of Arkansas or Arkansas Tech would field a wrestling team.

"If the state colleges were offering wrestling, it would probably be easier to sell it to the kids. It would give them a chance to earn athletic scholarships without having to go so far from home," Dickerson said. "A lot of colleges that used to offer wrestling scholarships have dropped their programs because of Title IX. Wrestling has taken a hit over the past 10 years."

The process may be slow, but Dickerson is confident wrestling will be part of Arkansas' sports world in the next few years.

"We are in the discovery phase right now," Dickerson said. "We just don't want it to go the way of gymnastics. Gymnastics has a small group of schools that participate scattered across the state, and travel for them to compete is difficult, and it makes it hard to schedule an event."

While no decision has been made as of yet, Dickerson believes a decision could be reached as soon as November on whether or not Russellville will have a wrestling team.

"At the latest it should be November when we find out," Dickerson said. "It could be earlier but I really believe it will be then. I feel our chances are good."